540 
ON A STAG, CERVUS THOROLDI, FROM TIBET, AND ON THE 
MAMMALS OF THE TIBETAN PLATEAU. 
By W. T. BuanForp, F.R.S. 
(With a Plate.) 
[From the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 2nd May, 1893.] 
In the course of Captain Bower and Dr. W. G. Thorold’s adventurous 
journey across the Tibetan plateau from west to east, two specimens of a stag 
were shot by the latter at aspot about 200 miles N.H, of Lhassa 1. These 
animals were killed in the snow amongst brushwood just above the forest, at 
an elevation of about 13,500 feet above the sea. Of one individual a complete 
skin, skull, and horns have been brought to England, and are now in the 
Natural History Museum ; of the other, the head with the skin and horns has 
been preserved and has been left by Dr, Thorold in London, so that I have 
been able to examine both. 
Last February I received a letter from Dr. Thorold, in which he asked me 
to look at the specimens and let him know to what species I thought they 
belonged, Some time before this I had heard from Mr. Oldfield ‘Thomas that 
the complete specimen had been received by the Museum, but had been sent 
away to be stuffed, I, however, saw the head which had been mounted, and 
although I did not like to come to any decided conclusion without having an 
opportunity of seeing the skin also, I was disposed to believe that the deer 
was probably the same as that of an immature horn of which the name of 
Cervus nariyanus was given by Hodgson in 1851, and was clearly identical with 
the species, of which the head was described and figured by Mr. W. L. Sclater 
in 1889 (J. A.S. B., lviti., pt, 2, p. 186, pl. xi.), and which was shown to be 
allied to the Mantchurian C. dybowskiz. 
For the last two months the skin has been in the hands of the taxidermists, 
but I have at length, by permission of Dr. Gunther, been able to examine it ; 
and I have now no hesitation in saying that I believe the stag obtained by 
Dr. Thorold must be regarded as an additional peculiar species of the extra- 
ordinarily specialized mammalian fauna inhabiting the Tibetan plateau, The 
following are the principal characters :— 
The animal is about the size of a Red Deer, C. elaphus, The height at the 
shoulder must have been about 4 feet, that measurement on the body over the 
curves to the withers having been recorded by Dr. Thorold as 4 ft. 5 in., and 
the length from the insertion of the tail to the nose 6 ft. 13 in. The tail (with 
hair probably) measured only 4 inches. Theearsare of moderate size and 
pointed, and measure outside in the mounted skin 93 inches from the head. 
The horns are distinguished at once by the want of the bez tine characteristic 
of the Elaphine group and found in the other Tibetan stag, C. affints. There 
are five points on each horn (except one, which has only 4),and there can be 
+ T am indebted to Captain Bower for several of the details. The approximate position is 
in lat, 31° 40’ N., and long 93° 30! E, 
TE eS eee 
